Ford's $20,000 hybrid?
Ford's third gen FocusI was checking out new pictures of the third generation Ford Focus on MotorTrend, and I couldn't help but think, why not make the Focus Ford's Honda Insight and Toyota Prius contender?
Imagine a $20,000 American hybrid!?
Hello! You wouldn't be able to keep it in stock. Even if the car lost money per unit for the next few years, imagine the traffic it would bring into showrooms. Imagine the positive press. And, eventually it would make a nice profit.
Make the gas version the econ model. Offer the hybrid in medium and luxury level trims. Maybe do the same for an EV version.
Isn't that the kind of choice America's freedom from foreign oil requires?
Labels: Ford, Foreign Oil Dependency, honda insight hybrid, Hybrid Vehicles, toyota prius
posted by Dahcredyns at
11:53 AM
19 Comments:
Duhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!! Is anyone at Ford, GM,Chrysler or at the federal government listening? My gut feeling is that the Chinese are going to beat everyone to the punch anyway with low cost hybrids and EV's and everyone else, and I mean everyone else is going to be left sitting on their hands, except maybe the Indians and I don't mean the American Indians.
I also think another cool Ford option would be to give the european FIESTA car coming a HYBRID option!
It is already loaded inside with nice LEDS and super sound system and more....plunk a 1.3L diesel with an Escape hybrid system to other side of engine and viola ...you have a fun cool hybrid for young and more with lower cost ? and GREAT mileage that would rival the Honda Fit Hybrid ! but yea i agree Ford wont listen :( oh well back to drawing board.........
That Chinese angle is interesting, especially since they have the lithium and the ability to mine it successfully. And they have cheap labor costs.
Should be just a matter of time before companies like Tata and BYD become bigger than any of the Big 3, or even Toyota for that matter. With their huge domestic markets....damn, that's scary.
Let's hope they also invent a different model for the future of the auto business that's more sustainable than what's so far been accomplished.
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Fiesta, Focus - I'd take either in a hybrid.
You'd be lucky if Ford brings the new Fiesta over un-butchered...let alone a hybrid.
Dahc-
Ford may be making much improved cars but they are still not price-competitive to the foreign car makers. Case in point: the base MSRP's for the 2010 Fusion Hybrid and the 2010 Camry Hybrid are $27, 888 and $26,870, repectively. That is a difference of more than a grand. Granted, the 2010 FFH is a better car, on paper at least, than the TCH, but would anyone pay a thousand dollars more for it? It's discouraging to say the least.
My point is that even if they do make a Focus Hybrid, it will be priced higher than the comparable Insight and Prius.
Hey, this whole post is based purely on speculative wishful thinking.
Still, supposedly the new contracts between Ford and the UAW are supposed to bring much more parity between Ford and the transplants.
Ford might be more price competitive in the future.
I hope so but time is not on Ford's side. UAW needs to give back more and give back now in order for Ford to survive. If not, Ford will follow GM and Chrysler into bankruptcy.
Several months ago I would have predicted Ford would already be in bankruptcy, so I still have a little hope.
Yea that Greek guy Dakronius says it right...all along i thought KOREA would be big player but by comparison CHINA has big lead in lithium capability and super cheap labor, so yea in 2 years they will be hear and prob wipe out our entire car industry :(
Hyundai is there now. So the Korea call was pretty good.
In terms of China and India, I think it will probably take a few more years than just two, but at the rate China is starting to sell cars, I wouldn't get too complacent if I were one of the majors.
Although, overall, i still like Toyota's game plan. They seem pretty well positioned.
Fox News reported, today, that the GM employees parking lots are full of foreign made cars and I am sure that the situation in Ford's lot is the same. How are the Big 3's expect to sell their cars to the public if their own employees are not? Buying their own cars should be an employment requirement at the Big 3's. Their bottom line will improve but whether that is legal or not is another issue. Dahc - this may fall under your wishful thinking category.
Well, I've been by some of those parking lots in the past and there are far more American-made cars than there are foreign-made cars by a considerable percent I'd wager.
Still, I'm sure some might have had a foreign car before their employment, etc.. Some people might be contract workers, such as those doing cleaning or catering, even security.
So, I'm not sure how accurate that Fox story was, and I'm pretty sure that most Big 3 employees, while they are employed by the big 3, buy their employers products.
If not, then they shouldn't be working there.
Indigo Incarnates
I think Ford and GM really do need to focus on making decent sub-$20k cars. The Yaris, Fit, and Scion are all perfectly decent vehicles, so it *can* be done.
That said, I've driven a Cobalt for two weeks once and it's really not a bad car. It needs a bit up upgrading, bit it wasn't a bad drive at all. Some additional choices in this price point would be nice. Also, how about a BAS start/stop option for Cobalt/Cruz/Aevo for under $1,000?
I think that the Big 3 can make fine small cars, it's doing it at a profit that has been particularly difficult for them. I don't know if adding the BAS hybrid drive would help on profitability, but I still like the idea.
My first car after college was a 5 yr. old '76 Ford Pinto. In 1986 I brought a new Accord hatchback which was a great car until totaled in a rear end collision in 1996. My present car is a used 18 yr. Accord sedan brought used 12 yrs ago. I got excited about the Fusion hybrid because of its ability to travel up to 47 miles per hour on electric only. Why didn't Ford try hybridization of the Focus first? I live in the city (limited parking), and I need a vehicle that can occasionally carry small cargo. The Fusion hybrid battery location makes rear seat retraction impossible. The Fusion hybrid price tag is going to make me test drive the 2010 Prius and the 2010 Insight. Very disappointed with my conclusion. I wanna buy an American car.
I'm right there with you. I had to buy another car almost a year ago, and since i only buy hybrids, it was very disappointing how i had almost no options.
if you know the history of the big 3 AND AT&T forcing their employees to buy American you would know that was the PROBLEM not the solution.
They would look out the window and think there was nothing wrong.
that and buying inferior because of patriotism stagnated our cars.
you don't mention the pay of management in the problem either
no socialism but solution is stop competition..capitalism that
That's an interesting point. There is no doubt that US automakers kind of gave up competing for a few decades. They still aren't competing at hybrid cars and barely on small cars.
own 2009 chev malibu, have gotten road mpg up to 41mpg, normally 33 to 36 and 30 to 31 local trips. milage depends on how your driving skills are.
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